Local Leads: 3/23/09

News you need to know

The following stories have been hand-selected by the Assignment Desk at News4:

LANSDOWNE VICTIMS WERE HUSBAND AND WIFE
A man found dead and a woman found critically injured in Lansdowne early March 22 have been identified as a husband and wife from Potomac Station. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is withholding their names until their family members are notified. The victims are in their mid-to-late 50s, spokesman Kraig Troxell said. (Loudoun Times)

EXISTING HOME SALES UP
A real estate group says sales of existing homes rose from January to February in an unexpected boost for the slumping U.S housing market as buyers took advantage of deep discounts on foreclosures. (ap/Richmond Times Dispatch)

GLOBAL WARMING ENDANGERS HEALTH
The Environmental Protection Agency sent a proposal to the White House Friday finding that global warming is endangering the public's health and welfare, according to several sources, a move that could have far-reaching implications for the nation's economy and environment. (Washington Post)

PASSPORT PEEPER SENTENCED
A former State Department employee has been sentenced to a year of probation for looking at confidential passport files for celebrities and his friends. Dwayne Cross, of Upper Marlboro, Md., also was ordered Monday to perform 100 hours of community service for the unauthorized access of more than 150 passport applications. (AP/wtop.com)

TEENS LOOKING TO CANADA FOR CHEAP COLLEGES
For high school students looking for a good education at an affordable cost, some college admissions counselors are preaching one thing: Go north. As the American dollar rebounds and the recession deepens, officials from Canadian universities are swooping in, swiping up American students, and heading back to the Great White North. (Gazette)

GET READY FOR MORE TRAFFIC IN TYSONS
Tysons Corner, which needs all the lanes it can get, is about to lose a few.  The painful confluence of two epic-scale transportation projects at Tysons is growing clearer every day, as transportation officials push forward simultaneously on both the Dulles Metrorail extension and Capital Beltway high-occupancy toll lanes.  (Examiner/wtop.com)

Local

Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information

Prince George's County prepares for more snow

Families upset about closing of ice rink in Leesburg

SOUTHERN MARYLAND DEER PROBLEM
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is opposing a bill that aims to control the large deer population in Southern Maryland that some farmers say is destroying their crops.  The measure would require DNR to establish a program to train sharpshooters who would help control the large number of deer in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties. But a state official said the legislation is unnecessary because the department can take regulatory steps to combat the deer problem. (The Enterprise)

SNAKEHEADS WELCOME
The 2004 movie "Snakehead Terror" features mutant fish terrorizing a rural town. The air-breathing carnivores ravage human prey on dry land until the local sheriff saves the day. "Frankenfish," a made-for-TV film also in 2004, tells a similar story of man-eating fish in a Louisiana bayou. This was Hollywood’s take on the 2002 discovery of the northern snakehead, Channa argus, in Crofton, Md. More snakeheads appeared in the Potomac River two years later. Exaggerated tales of the fish’s ability to crawl on land, feeding habits, and evil appearance multiplied. News of the invasive species and its potential devastation of native fishes spread rapidly across the country. It was a, ah, feeding frenzy. (Mount Vernon Gazette)

MOVIE THEATER SAVED FROM BANKRUPTCY
The largest multiplex in the Baltimore metro area is changing hands. Muvico has sold its 24-screen Egyptian-themed theater at Arundel Mills mall in a bid to stave off bankruptcy. Texas-based Cinemark USA bought the Muvico Egyptian 24 and three other theaters as part of a multimillion-dollar deal. Cinemark spokesman James Meredith said moviegoers shouldn't notice any change other than the theater's brand name. (Baltimore Sun

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